Three migrant laborers from Bihar were shot and injured in a militant attack in the Gagran area of Shopian district in Jammu and Kashmir.
The injured individuals were identified as Anmol Kumar, Pintu Kumar Thakur, and Hiralal Yadav, and they were taken to a hospital in Srinagar for treatment after receiving first aid in Shopian.
Following the attack, security forces cordoned off the area and launched a massive hunt to apprehend the attackers, who are believed to be two in number. It is worth noting that the attack on non-locals occurred during a period of heightened security in Kashmir due to the ongoing Amarnath Yatra, which began on July 1. This incident marks the third attack on non-locals and minorities in Kashmir this year.
Since the revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status in 2019, there have been several attacks targeting minority community members and non-locals in the region. The National Conference vice-president, Omar Abdullah, and Peoples Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti have condemned the attack and expressed their wishes for the injured individuals’ speedy recovery. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has also strongly denounced the attack and called for the perpetrators to be brought to justice.
The National Conference vice-president, Omar Abdullah, and Peoples Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti condemned the attack. “Very unfortunate. I unreservedly condemn this attack and send my best wishes to the injured. I hope they make a complete and speedy recovery,” Abdullah said in a tweet.
“Condemn the attack on non-locals at Shopian today. I pray for their swift recovery,” Mufti tweeted/
The Bharatiya Janata Party strongly denounced the attack on unarmed non-local labourers in Shopian “This reflects the frustration, inhumanity, and cheapness of terrorists involved in the gruesome attack on three non-local labourers who had gone to buy grocery items. Urge police to track those involved in the gruesome act and punish them sternly. Praying for the speedy recovery of all three injured men,” BJP spokesperson Altaf Thakur said.
It is unfortunate that such incidents continue to occur, causing harm to innocent people where attacks on migrants occurred for the first time in the history of Kashmir, after the removal of Article 370.